okay?’
‘I’m fine,’ Leona huffed, trying to catch her breath. She swallowed, sucked in more air. ‘What’s happened?’
‘They pulled up in a boat,’ replied Adam. ‘Maxwell tried distracting us. The rest of his boys were already waiting underneath. Then it all kicked off.’ He shook his head angrily. ‘We should have had everyone on that far platform instead of spread out. We might have spotted the rest of them sneaking under.’
Leona pulled herself onto her hands and knees and stole a look round the edge of the storage locker. ‘But they’re stuck there now, right?’
Adam nodded. ‘For now.’ Adam turned to Jenny. ‘There’s no way up onto the other platforms, right?’
She shook her head. ‘The other platforms are much, much higher. They’d need us to lower them something to get aboard.’
‘Then sod it, this is fine,’ he said, trying a reassuring smile on them. ‘We’ve got them plugged right here.’
Maxwell glared at Jay-zee. ‘Are you calling me a liar? Is that it?’
Jay-zee met his challenging stare. ‘Shit, man, you said this place was all powered up. That’s what you fuckin’ told us!’
A dozen of the praetorians crouching nearby glanced at them, eyes switching from Jay-Zee to Maxwell as they spoke.
‘Man, you tol’ us this place was lit up like some fuckin’ light show. All I see is the whole thing is dark as shit. There’s no fuckin’ power here!’
Christ. This is it, thought Maxwell. The bloody challenge. He suspected it was going to come from one of the older boys, if not Edward himself, but not right in the middle of a bloody battle. The alcohol from that sugary fruit crap mixed with what must be a tidal flood of adrenalin surging through his veins had made Jay-zee wired.
Maxwell looked at the others nearby. They were, all of them, wide-eyed, talking ten to the dozen, chomping chewing gum in a dry mouth, stoned on adrenalin and buzzing like violin strings; hungry little tiger cubs looking for a gazelle to pull down and tear apart.
‘You ever talk to me like that again, Jay-zee, I’ll kill you myself!’
The boys recoiled uncertainly.
‘The lights are all out, you idiot, because these people were warned we were coming. They didn’t want to stand out like some fucking beacon. That’s why everything is off!’
Uncertainty made Jay-zee waver; robbed his defiant posture of some of its challenge.
Something heavy pinged and rattled off a wall near to him. He flinched and ducked. His tall frame made him easier to see than anyone else. He crouched down to make sure his head wasn’t a target that could be picked out from the platform across the gap.
Another clatter nearby. Maxwell ducked this time. A nugget of pitted metal bounced and rolled across the deck and ended up rocking to and fro in front of his foot. Those silly bitches were throwing nuts and bolts at them like frigging peanuts. That would have been laughable if he hadn’t already witnessed one of his boys knocked senseless - left with a gushing cut across his scalp by one of those projectiles.
Jay-zee was still defiant. ‘This place ain’t worth this shit!’
Maxwell pointed up to a bulb dangling above the walkway entrance, and loops of sagging power flex dangling from ties all the way down the wire cage to the far side. ‘See the cables?’
Jay-zee looked up, frowned and nodded.
‘All of you boys?’ Maxwell raised his voice for the benefit of those crouching nearby. ‘Do you see these cables?’
They nodded.
‘It means they’ve got power. All right? Plenty of it. Why else would they be living out here on a bloody rig? They’re tapping oil or gas or whatever’s down there. And I’m telling you now they’ll have more fuel down there than we can ever use! All right?’
Some of the boys began to nod, reassured the Chief knew what he was doing and hadn’t led them down a dead end.
‘In an hour’s time we’ll have this place LIT UP LIKE A FUCKING CHRISTMAS TREE! ALL RIGHT?!!’
Some of their uncertain faces split with grins, the buzz of excitement flooding back.
Maxwell looked for Edward’s face and found him, listening in, and so far staying quiet.
‘Isn’t that right, Edward . . . Snoop?’
The boys all turned as one to look at him, studying his face, his reaction, wanting to know what to think.
‘Am I right?’ said Maxwell.
Snoop finally pursed his lips and shrugged. ‘Yeah, reckon they got power.’
‘Right then.’ Maxwell nodded towards the walkway. The bodies of three of his boys lay there, one behind the other. That